The marine industry has, for many years, searched for an effective sun shade to provide privacy and to reduce the amount of light passing through the port or hatch and into a vessel's cabin. For example, attempts have been made to fit blinds into screen receivers, i.e. frames, and to use spring loaded window shades. The blinds which fit into screen receivers are relatively cumbersome and require storage room when not in place. The spring loaded blinds are not suitable for round portholes or upscale vessels and may be relatively expensive due to the need for a custom fit. They are also unsuitable for overhead installations such as hatch covers in the top of a cabin. Venetian blinds are also unacceptable for many installations, are relatively cumbersome, expensive and difficult to clean.
Other industries have coped with similar problems. For example, a Brubaker U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,167, discloses a light controlling element for use in a window frame, door frame or the like. The light controlling element disclosed therein includes a pair of separate movable panels which are disposed in laped relation. Each of the panels includes successively arranged strip like areas of transparent and translucent or opaque material. By shifting one of the panels in one direction relative to the other, the transparent portions are brought into position where they are shut off by the translucent or opaque portions.
A more recent Jardin et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,405,184, discloses a vehicle roof which has a light transmissive cover. The roof also includes a device for varying the light transmissibility of the cover. According to that disclosure, the light transmissibility can be regulated by integrating a device of darkening elements into the transparent cover. These darkening elements are formed by two superposed polarized films that are movable relative to each other so that the light transmissibility of the cover can be steplessly adjusted.
It is now believed that there may be a significant commercial demand for a sunshade or privacy screen which can be inserted and removed from a port or hatch assembly in a marine vessel. It is also believed that this demand would be enhanced if the sun shade or privacy screen is extremely flat, light weight, relatively inexpensive, easy to activate, and at the same time, relatively easy to install, remove and clean.
It is also believed that removable light controlling blind assemblies in accordance with the present invention are particularly applicable for marine vessels such as sailboats and motor yachts. The blind assemblies are particularly applicable for such vessels because they are of simple construction, extremely flat, compact, of light weight construction and present a pleasing appearance.
The blind assemblies in accordance with the present invention are also relatively easy to manufacture, can be readily manufactured to fit different shapes and sizes of port holes and hatches and in various colors to match the colors of a boat or yacht at a relatively low cost. In addition, the blind assemblies may be easily inserted into a hatch or port hole assembly, readily removed for easy cleaning and are relatively compact for storage when removed from the port hole or hatch assembly. Furthermore, the blind assemblies in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, allow some light to enter a cabin on sunlit days and at the same time provide complete visual privacy.